Lost in Love
by switchbladesandhairgrease
Summary: Jennifer "Jenni" Rhodes risks a long-time friendship with Sylvia after a one-night stand with Sylvia's ex-boyfriend, Dallas, turns into something more. Drama ensues between the two, and Tim Shepard throws himself into the mix as both girls race to win Dallas over. Meanwhile, Kathy is forced to pick sides as her own problems arise.
1. CH - 1

**Lost in Love**  
_Chapter One_

**Author's Note:** Please, once you're done reading, review. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions, and if you would like to see something happen in this story, don't hesitate to tell me. I want to include stuff you want to read about.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _The Outsiders_.

* * *

I stare at Sylvia bitterly; a hint of anger and frustration runs through my veins. Like every other day, she's telling Kathy and me one of her many "shitty relationship" stories. Though, for the last 5 1/2 months, her stories have begun to repeat themselves. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about how she's two-timin' Dallas or he's doing a terrible job with sneaking around with "that cheap slut". That's Sylvia's most common name for some 11th grader. I'm not too sure what her name actually is for three reasons. The first reason: she's a grade behind Sylvia, Kathy and me; the second reason: Sylvia never refers to her by her actual name; the third reason: I don't give two shits about her actual name.

As Sylvia continues rambling, I find myself passing by her and admiring the "dark-haired devil". I would never admit to Sylvia that there was something about the dangerous greaser that attracted me to him; besides, today is one of the rare days he had decided to show up to school, and I was going to take advantage of it.

He's chuckling quietly at something Kathy's man, Two-Bit, had said, no doubt, and it gives me butterflies. Aside from being a cold-hearted person, he's got features that could draw in the nicest of girls. Anyway, there isn't a doubt in my mind that he's laughing at one of Two-Bit's gags. He is hands down the funniest boy in 12th grade - it had surprised everyone when he finally passed 11th grade. As for the other two, I recognize one as Steve Randle, and I know, for a fact, that the other boy is a 10th grader. I don't know his name, but I'm almost positive he's the kid brother of Sodapop and Darrel Curtis.

"Earth to Jenni," Sylvia calls loudly, waving her hand in front of my face impatiently. She sounds incredibly annoyed. "What's that nasty look for?" She turns around and follows my gaze. "Oh, he's such an asshole!" She grumbles angrily towards Dally. After hearing that statement, I begin to question their relationship.

Sure, Sylvia's considered one of the prettiest girls in our grade, but surely, Dallas can find better. I would be his girl in heartbeat, but compared to Sylvia, I'm a step down. Or, if he wanted to risk pissing off one of his buddies, he could try for Soda's girl, Sandy, but from what I hear, greasers don't do that to their pals. To put it in comparison: I'm pretty, Sylvia is beautiful and Sandy is drop dead gorgeous.

It sucks ranking so low. It sucks knowing I rank lower than Sylvia. Sure, she's my best friend, but I'm tired of ranking 2nd to her in almost everything - except school. Let me tell you, no boy like Dallas Winston wants a nerd attached at his hip. Of course he's going to go for someone who can be a good girl when she wants and slutty any other time. I can never win with her; she's got the perfect body, looks and guy.

If my long, auburn colored hair decides to turn out looking nice, Sylvia's dirty blonde locks look 10 times better. Plus, my hazel eyes don't even compare to her beautiful grey orbs. Heck, I don't even win when it comes to the personality portion of the test. Sylvia is charismatic - loud but charismatic. Plus, she's rebellious and can sweet talk her way out of any situation. Whether she didn't turn in an assignment or she robbed a bank, she always manages to get her way out of the consequences to follow. She can probably get away with murder and I don't put it past her to try. As for me, I'm quiet, sensitive and not nearly as recalcitrant as Sylvia, but I won't deny that I have fun going out and screwing with the citizens of Tulsa. In our group of three, Kathy is the one who refrains from doing such improper acts. Sylvia tells her she needs to loosen up, and I can't help but agree. Kathy, along with my older sister, tells me that someday Sylvia will get me in trouble, but I refuse to listen. In the four years we've been friends, her actions have never gotten me thrown into jail, so why stop now?

"If he's so bad, why don't you break up with him for good?" Kathy asks, pulling her long, golden hair back into a ponytail. Sylvia stares at her like Kathy has grown another head. I watch both girls blankly; I'm eager to see what goes down next.

"Kathy, there's somethin' about Dal that I can't let go," I stare at Sylvia, semi-impressed with what she just said. "Sides, he's a beast in the sheets." She finishes with a wink towards me. Unintentionally, my head bows down in embarrassment and my cheeks burn something awful. Sylvia begins to laugh while Kathy rolls her eyes and sighs loudly in annoyance. "Now, Kathy, why do you keep Two-Bit around? He's an idiot." Her heads shoots up towards Sylvia, and if looks could kill, Sylvia would be 6 feet under. This definitely isn't going to end well.

"Two-Bit is a nice guy, and he's funny," Kathy answers. Sylvia doesn't look amused. She looks over her red fingernails in boredom. "He's a lot better than cheatin' Dally." Sylvia looks up with a cocked eyebrow.

"Please, Kathy," she says. "Two-Bit and Dal have had their fair share of broads. Hell, I bet their list is the same length." Kathy looks away in defeat. Two-Bit and her are one of those on-again-off-again couples, and when they're off, Two-Bit doesn't wait around; it doesn't take long for him to have another blonde attached to his hip. "Next time, make sure you'll win the argument." Sylvia turns towards me. She opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, Kathy interjects.

"At least Two-Bit don't cheat on me." Kathy says quietly with as much confidence she can muster up. Sylvia rolls her eyes.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Princess. Everyone knows Two-Bit ain't innocent," as much as I like Kathy, I can't help but admit that Sylvia continues to make really good points. Kathy sighs sadly; all 3 of us know that Sylvia had won for the 2nd time in the last five minutes. Kathy sticks a fry in her mouth, doing anything in a desperate attempt to ease out the embarrassment she's feeling for even making the mistake of challenging Sylvia; she's an undefeated monster. "What the hell is the matter with you?" She directs her attention towards me. I nervously glance between her and Kathy a couple times before meeting Sylvia's wondering eyes. "You ain't said one word at all durin' lunch. That brother of yours wake you up again last night?" I shake my head. "That's a shock."

In my small family of four, I'm the middle child. I have an older sister name Carolyn who's still at home despite the fact that she's 23 years old; I also have a brother whose birthday is next week named Daniel who is the product of my mother and her fiancé for the last two years, Brandon. Shortly after my 3rd birthday, my parents got into an argument which resulted in my father packing his belongings and removing himself from our house; ultimately, he left Carolyn and my lives without thinking twice. A couple years after his departure, Mom had met Brandon. They dated for several years before announcing their engagement a couple months before my 14th birthday. Then, four months before my 16th birthday, Daniel Carter was born.

For some unfathomable reason, Sylvia can't stand my baby brother, but she admires Carolyn. I find it funny because Carolyn wants nothing to do with two 17 years olds - Sylvia and Kathy. Sadly, I'm the youngest in our group - and one of the youngest in our grade considering I'm only 16. It sucks more than you can imagine.

I shrug my shoulders in response to her question. "I ain't got nothin' to say." I answer, pushing around some food with my fork. Sylvia rolls her eyes.

"Jenni, you ain't never got anythin' to say," she remarks. "Anyway, I was thinkin' the 3 of us should head over to Buck's Friday night to celebrate our first successful week of senior year. There's bound to be some cute guys there that we can lead on." Sylvia explains. "Ladies, you in?" Kathy shakes her head.

"Two-Bit is takin' me to Jay's for dinner that night." Kathy replies. Sylvia looks towards me with a knowing look; a sly smirk slowly starts to spread across her lips.

A sure sign that Friday is going to be an eventful evening.

XxXxXxX

Kathy walks home with me after school, and along the way, she mutters some pretty obscene words about Sylvia and the way she was talking about her man.

As for me, I pretend to listen while kicking a rock along the sidewalk. Honestly, my mind is flashing back to lunch when Sylvia was giving her reasons why she won't leave Dallas for good. It still doesn't make sense to me.

"Jenni, do you think it was right of her to say that about Two-Bit?" Kathy asks suddenly, catching me off guard. I merely shrug my shoulders in response while continuing to send the rock another few feet in front of me. Kathy emits one of her infamous sighs. "I'm serious, Jennifer. I want to hear what your thoughts on the matter are." I stuff my hands into the pockets of my skirt while carrying on down the sidewalk. Kathy waits as patiently as she can for my answer.

"If you want the truth, Kathy, Sylvia wasn't exactly wrong about what she said. Two-Bit don't waste no time gettin' another girl, and he has had his fair share of girls," I explain. She crosses her arms over her chest, about ready to argue with me. I pull my left hand out and hold up my index finger. "I ain't done yet, so hold yourself for a second. I don't think Two-Bit would ever cheat on you though." Kathy relaxes a little and slumps her shoulders forward.

"She really irks me sometimes," Kathy mutters under her breath. "It ain't fair how she's always talkin' crap about Two-Bit, and then when you try to say somethin' mean about Dally, she don't even get mad." I shrug my shoulders.

"If you really love Two-Bit, you wouldn't let her comments bother you," I share. "Sylvia loves Dallas, so what you say ain't gonna offend her. Unless she already knows, and we all know Sylvia ain't gonna deny the truth unless it involves her gettin' thrown into the cooler." I slowly fade out upon realizing how I've gotten off topic. Kathy averts her eyes to the ground and shrugs.

"I really do love Two-Bit," she informs quietly. The two of us walk up the pathway leading to my house. I take the lead, and upon reaching the door, I stick my key into the slot. "Are you really gonna go to Buck's with her Friday?" I nod my head while fumbling with the lock. "You're real brave then, Jenni." I push the old wooden piece of crap open before allowing Kathy inside. Her comment lingers around longer than it should have. Slowly, a dangerous grin forms on my face.

If only Kathy knew what she's missing.

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**Author's Note:** Don't be shy. Please review. I would really appreciate it. Also, I would love if you all favorited and followed. That's mean a lot too. :)


	2. CH - 2

**Lost in Love**  
_Chapter Two_

**Author's Note:** I'm aware it's been months since I've updated this story (or any of my stories), but I'll be honest. I think my writing is getting terrible. I'm not satisfied with anything I write, and I feel that the more I practice, the worse it becomes. So, until I get this whole situation sorted out, I don't know when updates will come.

Honestly, I'll be surprised if anyone is still a fan of this story, and if anyone out there is patiently waiting for an update, here it is, and I'm really, really sorry about this crazy long wait. I hope this chapter is worth it, and I'll let you decide if it is or not.

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The remainder of the day passes with Kathy and me attempting our math homework as she continues muttering insults towards Sylvia. "I hope you realize Sylvia ain't here," I tease. "She can't hear what you're sayin' 'bout her." Kathy glares at me, and in response, I shoot her a goofy little grin; like I had predicted, Kathy breaks down and begins to giggle.

"I still don't understand why you're goin' to Buck's with her. She's ain't got no good intentions, and one day, you're gonna be beggin' me to bail you outta the cooler," I merely shrug my shoulders in response. "I ain't bailin' you out, Jen."

"Who said I was gonna use my only call on you anyway?" I ask her. Kathy rolls her eyes and scribbles down an answer for a problem we've been stuck on for the last 25 minutes. "Did you actually figure out the answers or are you guessin'?" Kathy shrugs her shoulders.

"It's an educated guess."

"There ain't nothin' educated about guessin' a random number," I pull her paper towards me to see what she wrote. Her answer makes me want to smack her upside the head. "Kathy, there ain't no way in hell that the answer is 14. There's a 362 and 395 in the problem." Kathy shrugs again, snatching her paper back.

"It is now."

XxXxXxX

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday roll by with a breeze. I walk home with Sylvia after school with a bag of clothes slung over my shoulder and my notebook, folder and pencil wrapped up tightly in my arms. "If you ain't got no homework, I don't understand why you didn't leave that back at school." Sylvia comments, lighting up a weed.

"I want to rewrite my English poem," I answer. "Unlike you, I actually care 'bout my grades." Sylvia grins and pulls the cigarette out of her mouth; she exhales sending a huge cloud of smoke free. "You do know that having good grades will help you get a good job when you're older, and you won't have to worry about makin' ends meet every week. I don't know 'bout you, but I'm tired of bein' poor, Sylvia." She places the cigarette back in her mouth before taking a long drag.

"There's an easier job that'll earn you lots of money too," Sylvia comments, pulling the Kool from her mouth again. I look towards her slowly; I'm more nervous than curious to hear her suggestion. "You could always become a prostitute. There are tons of corners in Tulsa." I roll my eyes in annoyance. "I bet you'd be a hit, Jenni. You've got a pretty face, and lots of boys would pay to sleep with that body of yours." By the time she finishes, I'm incredibly insulted.

"At least I'd have you as my business partner." I shoot back quickly. Sylvia merely shrugs her shoulders and continues to suck on her cigarette. I'm stunned. I call her a whore, and she's perfectly okay with it. My pace begins to slow down, and eventually, I stop. Sylvia doesn't care though, she continues walking.

Kathy was right. It is frustrating that nothing bothers Sylvia.

XxXxXxX

Sylvia decides to start getting ready for Buck's party around 6:30. She scans through her closet, looking for her perfect outfit. As for me, I brought one of Carolyn's dresses.

It's tight on me, and my breasts are pushed up, making it look like I'm wearing a push-up bra. The dress ends halfway down my thighs, and Sylvia tells me the white looks great against my tanned skin. I'm not too comfortable in it, by Sylvia explains that it'll be easier to mess with the boys if our outfits are too tight. As true as it is, I still think it's insane.

After much protest, Sylvia finally agrees to not cover my face completely with make-up. "If you weren't as pretty as you are, you'd be gettin' a shit ton on your face." Sylvia mutters, covering my eyelid with eye make-up. It's rare for Sylvia to compliment other girls, and at the moment, I feel incredibly happy that she had complimented me like that.

"So, are we goin' to actually party or are we goin' so you can make Dallas jealous?" Sylvia makes a noise that sounds like a cross between someone squeezing a penguin and a sarcastic laugh.

"Jenni, that's damn near impossible," she remarks. "I've been datin' him for 2 1/2 years. In those years, I've only made him jealous one, and that was because I was flirtin' up a storm with Tim Shepard. He don't take too kindly to that, but he was more pissed than jealous." She fails to catch me off guard. It doesn't shock me that Dallas Winston isn't the jealous type. "Okay, your make-up is done. You ready to leave?" I look over myself in the mirror for a couple seconds. Then, I follow Sylvia out of her room.

We reach Buck's about 10 after 7:00. His dirt parking lot is packed, and while walking towards the building, Sylvia decides to key her 2nd enemy's - Dawn Harris - car. "Why do you hate Dawn so much?" I ask curiously. My arms are crossed over my chest as I watch her draw several words of profanity into the dark blue paint. "Are you sure that's even her car? I heard down at The Ribbon that she's goin' with Tim Shepard. What if that's his car?" Sylvia shakes her head.

"That's only a rumor. Dawn is in love with Shepard," she answers. "I bet that brown-haired bitch started it." I wouldn't doubt that, but it still makes me uncomfortable with what Sylvia is doing. We've never actually defaced a car.

"Can I ask you a question?" She mumbles something incoherent in response, so I take it as a yes. "Are you gonna be mad if Dallas is with another girl? Will you be jealous?" Sylvia finishes on her work and stands up. She tosses her tool onto the ground before turning to face me.

"I don't give two shits 'bout Dally," she retorts bitterly. Her tone of voice shocks me. Just the other day she was telling Kathy and me about how much she loves Dallas; now, she hates his guts. "If he wants to mess around with another broad, then that's his decision." By now, I can tell how she feels. Sylvia is afraid she's going to lose Dallas to another girl, and the only way to express it is by resorting to anger.

She turns on her heel abruptly before stalking off to the door. I watch her walk off with a sneaky smirk on my face. I begin to follow once she's halfway there.

XxXxXxX

The atmosphere is thick with scents of alcohol, cigarette and cheap perfume. It's a scent I've grown to know over the course of my friendship with Sylvia. I can see her eyes perk up before she takes off through the crowd of underage drinkers - leaving me alone by the door.

I push my way through the crowd; I feel my only safe place is the bar. Several partiers shoot me dirty looks, but their opinions of me are the last thing on my mind. A few even take the liberty to make vulgar remarks. Still, I push my way through. A couple drunken boys wrap their arms around my waist to pull me back while some even slap my butt and that pushes me to pick up my pace.

It seems like forever, but I finally locate the bar. After taking a seat towards the middle, I scan over the mass of people. There's no way in hell I'll be able to find Sylvia now. "Can I get you a drink, Darlin'?" Following the gruff voice, someone taps me. I turn around sharply; my eyes widen upon realizing it isn't Buck behind me. Instead, a fairly tall man with sandy brown hair, a pencil thin mustache and green eyes burn into me. He drums his fingers along the bad impatiently. I stare into his eyes speechless; with each passing moment, they narrow and the man begins to grow more impatient with my antics.

"W-Where's Buck at?" I finally manage to spit out. I mentally slap myself not long afterwards. The man stands up straight and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Buck is out of town at some rodeo," the guy answers plainly. "I'm fillin' in for him this weekend. I'm his brother, Stanley." I offer him a slight smile, and in response to his explanation, I nod my head slowly. Stanley merely rolls his eyes. "Can I get ya anything to drink or are you gonna remain there and drive away customers?"

"It don't matter to me," I reply. "Surprise me." Stanley groans and moseys off to who knows where. I spin back around on the bar stool to face the crowd. I make myself as tall as I can before looking for Sylvia. Instead, I find Dallas Winston.

Not that I'm complaining.

He's carefully walking my way; every so often, he stumbles over his feet. The closer he gets to me, the harder my heart pounds against my ribcage. I nervously wipe my hands on the skirt of my dress as my palms begin to slightly sweat. Stanley taps my shoulder. "Here's your drink," he announces. I remain where I am; my eyes following Dallas to the bar. "Hey, I don't have all day. Are you gonna pay for this now or should I put this on your tab?" Slowly, I turn around on the barstool; slowly, I pull my eyes off of Dallas.

"Uh, put this on my tab." I answer, meeting Stanley's eyes. He doesn't look too happy. In fact, he looks like he wouldn't hesitate to strangle me if someone gave him permission.

"Well, what's your name?" He asks impatiently.

"I'm Sylvia A-Adams." Stanley looks at me quizzically, almost as if he doesn't believe me. I bite my tongue hard as a long sting of swear words form in my head.

"You sure 'bout that, Kid?" Stanley inquires slowly. I nod my head hastily. It still looks as though I have failed to convince him. "You don't sound too sure." He still speaks slowly; again, I nod my head.

"Yes, I am Sylvia Adams." I repeat to him. Stanley still doesn't look too sure but he decides it'll be easier to go along with it. Once he's out of earshot, I sigh loudly before taking a big gulp of my drink.

Big mistake.

It looks like Pepsi, leading me to believe it is. I forgot how this is Stanley's surprise, and I begin to cough erratically as the large quantity of alcohol burns a trail down my throat. I press a hand to my chest as I continue with my coughing fit. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Stanley at the other end of the bar, laughing quietly to himself while watching me. What an asshole.

Someone squeeze in between me and the barstool to my right. I look up; my body is tense, and I'm ready to ask the person what they think they're doing. As soon as I realize that it's Dallas, I relax. He slams his palm on the counter, slurring loudly at Stanley for another drink. Stanley merely rolls his eyes and begins to fix the beverage. During that time, Dallas slowly turns towards me. He scans over my body before meeting my eyes.

"Wanna dance later?" He asks lazily. My heart starts racing again. Weakly, I nod my head in response. "You're awfully good-lookin'." Dallas winks, turning back around towards Stanley. I hold back the big, cheesy smile wanting to slip through and busy myself by wiping my palms on my dress for the second time that night.

The fact that he asked me to dance is still sinking in.

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**Author's Note:** Well, there shouldn't be any typos, but my apologies if there are any. :-) Either way, I hope you liked chapter two.


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